The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday November 3, 2017 (NIV)

Ezekiel 7-9

The End Is Near for Israel

The Lord spoke to me. “Mortal man,” he said, “this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the land of Israel: This is the end for the whole land!

“Israel, the end has come. You will feel my anger, because I am judging you for what you have done. I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct. I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the Lord.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “One disaster after another is coming on you. It's all over. This is the end. You are finished. The end is coming for you people who live in the land. The time is near when there will be no more celebrations at the mountain shrines, only confusion.[a]

“Very soon now you will feel all the force of my anger. I am judging you for what you have done, and I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct. I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the Lord and that I am the one who punishes you.”

10 The day of disaster is coming. Violence is flourishing. Pride is at its height.[b] 11 Violence produces more wickedness. Nothing of theirs will remain, nothing of their wealth, their splendor, or their glory.

12 The time is coming. The day is near when buying and selling will have no more meaning, because God's punishment will fall on everyone alike. 13 No merchants will live long enough to get back what they have lost, because God's anger is on everyone. Those who are evil cannot survive.[c] 14 The trumpet blows, and everyone gets ready. But no one goes off to war, for God's anger will fall on everyone alike.

Punishment for Israel's Sins

15 There is fighting in the streets, and sickness and hunger in the houses. Anyone who is out in the country will die in the fighting, and anyone in the city will be a victim of sickness and hunger. 16 Some will escape to the mountains like doves frightened from the valleys. All of them will moan over their sins.[d] 17 Everyone's hands will be weak, and their knees will shake. 18 They will put on sackcloth and they will tremble all over. Their heads will be shaved, and they will all be disgraced. 19 They will throw their gold and silver away in the streets like garbage, because neither silver nor gold can save them when the Lord pours out his fury. They cannot use it to satisfy their desires or fill their stomachs. Gold and silver led them into sin. 20 Once they were proud of their beautiful jewels, but they used them to make disgusting idols. That is why the Lord has made their wealth repulsive to them.

21 “I will let foreigners rob them,” says the Lord, “and lawbreakers will take all their wealth and defile it. 22 I will not interfere when my treasured Temple is profaned, when robbers break into it and defile it.

23 “Everything is in confusion[e]—the land is full of murders and the cities are full of violence. 24 I will bring the most evil nations here and let them have your homes. Your strongest men will lose their confidence when I let the nations profane the places where you worship. 25 Despair is coming. You will look for peace and never find it. 26 One disaster will follow another, and a steady stream of bad news will pour in. You will beg the prophets to reveal what they foresee. The priests will have nothing to teach the people, and the elders will have no advice to give. 27 The king will mourn, the prince will give up hope, and the people will shake with fear. I will punish you for all you have done, and will judge you in the same way as you have judged others. This will show you that I am the Lord.”

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of our exile, the leaders of the exiles from Judah were sitting in my house with me. Suddenly the power of the Sovereign Lord came on me. (A)I looked up and saw a vision of a fiery human form. From the waist down his body looked like fire, and from the waist up he was shining like polished bronze. He reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed me by the hair. Then in this vision God's spirit lifted me high in the air and took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner entrance of the north gate of the Temple, where there was an idol that was an outrage to God.

(B)There I saw the dazzling light that shows the presence of Israel's God, just as I had seen it when I was by the Chebar River. God said to me, “Mortal man, look toward the north.” I looked, and there near the altar by the entrance of the gateway I saw the idol that was an outrage to God.

God said to me, “Mortal man, do you see what is happening? Look at the disgusting things the people of Israel are doing here, driving me farther and farther away from my holy place. You will see even more disgraceful things than this.”

He took me to the entrance of the outer courtyard and showed me a hole in the wall. He said, “Mortal man, break through the wall here.” I broke through it and found a door. He told me, “Go in and look at the evil, disgusting things they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and looked. The walls were covered with drawings of snakes and other unclean animals,[f] and of the other things which the Israelites were worshiping. 11 Seventy Israelite leaders were there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each one was holding an incense burner, and smoke was rising from the incense. 12 God asked me, “Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshiping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: ‘The Lord doesn't see us! He has abandoned the country.’”

13 Then the Lord said to me, “You are going to see them do even more disgusting things than that.” 14 So he took me to the north gate of the Temple and showed me women weeping over the death of the god Tammuz.[g]

15 He asked, “Mortal man, do you see that? You will see even more disgusting things.” 16 So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.

17 The Lord said to me, “Mortal man, do you see that? These people of Judah are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them right here in the Temple and make me even more angry. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible![h] 18 They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them.”

Jerusalem Is Punished

Then I heard God shout, “Come here, you men who are going to punish the city. Bring your weapons with you.” At once six men came from the outer north gate of the Temple, each one carrying a weapon. With them was a man dressed in linen clothes, carrying something to write with. They all came and stood by the bronze altar.

Then the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel rose up from the winged creatures[i] where it had been, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. The Lord called to the man dressed in linen, (C)“Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city.”

And I heard God say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one; have mercy on no one. Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers, and children. But don't touch anyone who has the mark on his forehead. Start here at my Temple.” So they began with the leaders who were standing there at the Temple.

God said to them, “Defile the Temple. Fill its courtyards with corpses. Get to work!” So they began to kill the people in the city.[j]

While the killing was going on, I was there alone. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, “Sovereign Lord, are you so angry with Jerusalem that you are going to kill everyone left in Israel?”

God answered, “The people of Israel and Judah are guilty of terrible sins. They have committed murder all over the land and have filled Jerusalem with crime. They say that I, the Lord, have abandoned their country and that I don't see them. 10 But I will not have pity on them; I will do to them what they have done to others.”

11 Then the man wearing linen clothes returned and reported to the Lord, “I have carried out your orders.”

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 7:7 Probable text celebrations … confusion; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Ezekiel 7:10 Probable text Pride is at its height; Hebrew unclear.
  3. Ezekiel 7:13 Verse 13 in Hebrew is unclear.
  4. Ezekiel 7:16 Verse 16 in Hebrew is unclear.
  5. Ezekiel 7:23 One ancient translation Everything is in confusion; Hebrew unclear.
  6. Ezekiel 8:10 The Law of Moses prohibited the eating of certain animals as being ritually unclean (see 4.13; Lv 11).
  7. Ezekiel 8:14 A god who was thought to die when vegetation died and to come to life the next year. Women would mourn his ritual death.
  8. Ezekiel 8:17 A reference to a pagan rite of putting a branch to the nose.
  9. Ezekiel 9:3 See 1.5-12.
  10. Ezekiel 9:7 work!” So they … city.; or work! Go on and start killing the people in the city!”
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 5

Every high priest is chosen from his fellow-men and appointed to serve God on their behalf, to offer sacrifices and offerings for sins. Since he himself is weak in many ways, he is able to be gentle with those who are ignorant and make mistakes. (A)And because he is himself weak, he must offer sacrifices not only for the sins of the people but also for his own sins. (B)No one chooses for himself the honor of being a high priest. It is only by God's call that a man is made a high priest—just as Aaron was.

(C)In the same way, Christ did not take upon himself the honor of being a high priest. Instead, God said to him,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
(D)He also said in another place,
“You will be a priest forever,
in the priestly order of Melchizedek.” [a]

(E)In his life on earth Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death. Because he was humble and devoted, God heard him. But even though he was God's Son, he learned through his sufferings to be obedient. When he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him, 10 and God declared him to be high priest, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.[b]

Warning against Abandoning the Faith

11 There is much we have to say about this matter, but it is hard to explain to you, because you are so slow to understand. 12 (F)There has been enough time for you to be teachers—yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God's message. Instead of eating solid food, you still have to drink milk. 13 Anyone who has to drink milk is still a child, without any experience in the matter of right and wrong. 14 Solid food, on the other hand, is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 5:6 in the priestly order of Melchizedek; or like Melchizedek; or in the line of succession to Melchizedek.
  2. Hebrews 5:10 in the priestly order of Melchizedek; or like Melchizedek; or in the line of succession to Melchizedek.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 105:1-15

God and His People(A)

105 Give thanks to the Lord,
proclaim his greatness;
tell the nations what he has done.
Sing praise to the Lord;
tell the wonderful things he has done.
Be glad that we belong to him;
let all who worship him rejoice.
Go to the Lord for help;
and worship him continually.
5-6 You descendants of Abraham, his servant;
you descendants of Jacob, the man he chose:
remember the miracles that God performed
and the judgments that he gave.

The Lord is our God;
his commands are for all the world.
He will keep his covenant forever,
his promises for a thousand generations.
(B)He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham
and his promise to Isaac.
10 (C)The Lord made a covenant with Jacob,
one that will last forever.
11 “I will give you the land of Canaan,” he said.
“It will be your own possession.”

12 God's people were few in number,
strangers in the land of Canaan.
13 They wandered from country to country,
from one kingdom to another.
14 (D)But God let no one oppress them;
to protect them, he warned the kings:
15 “Don't harm my chosen servants;
do not touch my prophets.”

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:28

28 You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

11/2/2017 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalms 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27

Today is the second day of November, welcome to the daily audio Bible. I’m Brian and it’s great to be here with you as we get ourselves settled into this new month. And even as we do that, were settling into the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament and the book of Hebrews in the New. And things get moving rapidly as we move toward the end of the year because we move through some shorter material, books of minor prophecy that are shorter and letters from the apostles that are shorter. So, we’ll be touching seven of the books of the Bible in the month of November but that’ll happen a little later. Ezekiel will take us out into the final week of the month and Hebrews will take us into next week. So, today, Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 16 through 6:14. And we’re reading from the Good News translation this week.

Commentary:

Okay. In the book of Hebrews, we come to what is certainly a very popular portion of Scripture, but it also happens to be one of the guiding scriptures for what we do here every day - the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it cuts all the way through to where soul and spirit meet. So, where is that? Where do soul and spirit meet? I’ve heard this Scripture all my life and just always kind of moved past it by thinking, well, it goes very, very deep. That’s the point. It’s something that can penetrate. But where do soul and spirit actually meet? Where is it that our true selves, our spirit and our awareness or consciousness, where do these come together other than the very, very place of our identity, the eternal places within us. So, the writer of Hebrews is telling us that the word of God can counsel and rebuke and correct us at that deep of a level, at the place where all of our constructs and all of our personality and all of the things that we do to make the world work fade away into what is true and implant truth at that place, thereby forming us as people and changing our convictions, ambitions, and coping mechanisms. The word of God can speak to us there. And, you know, if you’ve been on the journey this year, you can already see that. You can already bear witness to the truth of that. We can all agree, the scriptures judge the desires and thoughts of the heart, exactly as Hebrews tell us today. And there aren’t many things in this world that can speak that deeply or that can navigate through the maze of who we are - our wounds, our history, our convictions, our worldview and everything else that goes along with that. But the word of God can and does. And, so, we can see, so clearly, what gift it is to have the Bible in our lives every day. But this passage goes on and tells us why. It’s not as popular. You probably can’t quote it. But it goes on to tell us why. There is nothing that can be hid from God. Everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes and it is to Him that we must all give an account of ourselves. And with that awareness we see the irreplaceable gift of the Scriptures in our lives, being able to speak to us far deeper than really anything else can, and to guide us along the path that leads us to truth. That’s what this is all about. That’s why we’re doing this every day. We’re coming together for community around the global campfire but the essential piece that can’t be missing is the scriptures spoken over us aloud every day because this is powerful stuff. This is stuff that can change us at the level of our identity. It can bring out into the open who we really are. And isn’t that what we spend our whole life searching for? And isn’t the renewal and transformation and sanctification what we seek? That’s why we just did this Global Campfire Initiative - to further strengthen and build community wrapped around the rhythm of the scriptures being spoken aloud every day. And, as I’ve already said, I thank you humbly, those of you stepped forward into this, so that we can continue to bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night because it’s potent. It orients us at the level of our identity toward God.

Prayer:

Father, we rejoice in and thank You for the gift of Your word in our lives, not only through the rhythm of what we do at the Daily Audio Bible as a community every day but through the personal transformation that You bring about in our lives through Your word every day. We thank You for this gift and we open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit and we invite Your word to speak into the places where soul and spirit meet. And we acknowledge that nothing can be hidden from You, all of creation is exposed and lies open before Your eyes, and we want that to be true of us. Willingly, we open our hearts to You completely. We trust You completely. Come Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

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And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning DABbers. This is To Be a Blessing in California. I wanted to thank the woman in Indiana. I apologize, I don’t remember your name. But you saying God will make a way that I heard the other night when I wasn’t able to sleep and I found myself worrying. I didn’t know I was worrying until I heard the Psalm and it gave me such peace to remind me of the sweet love that Jesus has for us and that we don’t have to worry because He’s got us, He’s taking care of us. What a gift that was for me and I know that it was for many others. I’m praying for you all. I’m praying for Terry and his situation. I’m praying for Karen and her needs. I’m praying for Heather in Illinois. I’m praying for Blind Tony and Victoria S. I’m praying also for Sharron, who is learning by faith how to walk with Jesus even more. Speaking the Word, let God bless you and nourish you with His word and we will be victorious. What an amazing thing that will be. And that is to be victorious. God bless you all. Have a great day. Bye-bye.

Hi family. How are you this fine, fine day? This is Viola from Maryland. I hope you are all doing well. I’m about 2 weeks behind but it’s all good. I did say that I was in school. Brian and Jill, God bless you. But being in school hasn’t stopped me from praying for you. I pray that God will continue to protect you as you go on your journey to different states to promote Sneezing Jesus and I pray in the name of Jesus that everyone that we have given the book to will come to know the Lord. And I heard your prayer request for quitting cigarettes sister. You keep praying out to God so He is able to help you quit. I pray that when you smell cigarettes or you even see them, it will bring you sickness, it will be disgusting, as a matter of fact you will not have any desire for it anymore, in the name of Jesus. This is one of those things I did not want in my life any more. It was so horrible. It smelled. I couldn’t stand the smell of it and I pray the same for you in Jesus’ name.  Edgar, good to hear from you. So, you are in ___ brother. I pray that God will keep you and uphold you there and help you in the name of Jesus. Jay from New Jersey. I did hear your prayer request and every time since that prayer request and the lord has placed on my heart to pray for you. Brother, I pray for you today, that the Lord will give you a heart, a heart to follow after you, a heart that seeks passionately for Him in the name of Jesus. And that God will strengthen you so that you will not fall and that your heart’s desire. What does God say, that the ___. I pray in the name of Jesus that God will deliver you fully. Gabriel, young sister, I heard your prayer request and first of all I pray that God will comfort you as ____ over the person that killed themselves and I pray that God will use you as salt and light in the name of Jesus. I want to give a shout out to my good friend Nevi. Nevi, I haven’t heard form you in a while. Text me. Okay? Asia, my sister from Munich, I pray for you from time to time. And I want to pray for…

Hi. This is Max from Tennessee and I’m calling in for Jaqueline and her husband. You said he’s looking to divorce and he’s been threatening. So, I just pray, Father, Spirit of the Lord, I just pray that You come and be very close to them in Jesus’ name. Both of them are believers. Her husband’s being very deceived right now. So, I pray Your grace over them that you will bring comfort to Jaqueline and that you would bring sobering truth to her husband in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jaqueline, if you’d like to reach out to me, it’s max@edmiston.org I’d love to share my testimony with you and testimony from people in my life as well. Love you. God bless you. Have a wonderful day.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible. This is Rebecca from Michigan. Today I went to the church that is close to my house. It’s in a movie theater called Imagine theater. We kind of rent a room in the theater. But after the theater, there’s like a bar in it. So, I went to the bar, not to drink alcohol, but I sat at the bar to talk to the bar tender girl. Right now she’s a single mom just like me except my child is 31 and hers is maybe 2. And she’s younger than me. I’m like old enough to be her mom. We started talking and I talked about the church and you know she was talking about how she wanted to read the bible and I told her about Daily Audio Bible. So, you might get a bar tender listening to Daily Audio Bible. So, pray for the girl at Imagine theater, the bartender. I don’t remember what her name was. God knows everybody’s name. So keep her in your prayers. I told her how she could listen to it, how you guys pray for people, and how Brian talks about what we just read and how she can relate it to her life. Yeah. Pray for her. And you know you guys, I’ve been trying to decide if I should get another job or something because I’m doing ___ for ___ university and I don’t just go to work. I love my job and I love working with ids and I like driving but it doesn’t really support me and I don’t have any health insurance and I…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday November 2, 2017 (NIV)

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14

The Lord Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout(A)

16 After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me. 17 “Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you. 18 If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.

20 “If someone truly good starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

22 I felt the powerful presence of the Lord and heard him say to me, “Get up and go out into the valley. I will talk to you there.”

23 So I went out into the valley, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen it beside the Chebar River. I fell face downward on the ground, 24 but God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet. The Lord said to me, “Go home and shut yourself up in the house. 25 You will be tied with ropes, mortal man, and you will not be able to go out in public. 26 I will paralyze your tongue so that you won't be able to warn these rebellious people. 27 Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

God said, “Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.

4-5 “Then lie down on your left side, and I[a] will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last. When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days—one day for each year of their punishment.

“Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it. I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until the siege is over.

“Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side. 10 You will be allowed eight ounces of bread a day, and it will have to last until the next day. 11 You will also have a limited amount of water to drink, two cups a day. 12 You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you.”

13 The Lord said, “This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids,[b] when I scatter them to foreign countries.”

14 But I replied, “No, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean.”

15 So God said, “Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that.”

16 And he added, “Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink. 17 They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins.”

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The Lord said, “Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts. Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword. Keep back a few hairs and wrap them in the hem of your clothes. Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel.”

The Sovereign Lord said, “Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the world, with other countries all around her. But Jerusalem rebelled against my commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected my commands and refused to keep my laws. Now listen, Jerusalem, to what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. By not obeying my laws or keeping my commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations. And so I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it. Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and will never do again. 10 (B)As a result, parents in Jerusalem will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter in every direction any who are left alive.

11 “Therefore, as I am the living God—this is the word of the Sovereign Lord—because you defiled my Temple with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I will cut you down without mercy. 12 A third of your people will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by swords outside the city; and I will scatter the last third to the winds and pursue them with a sword.

13 “You will feel all the force of my anger and rage until I am satisfied. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the Lord, have spoken to you because I am outraged at your unfaithfulness. 14 Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance.

15 “When I am angry and furious with you and punish you, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you. 16 I will cut off your supply of food and let you starve. You[c] will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you. 17 (C)I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Lord Condemns Idolatry

The Lord spoke to me. “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the mountains of Israel and give them my message. Tell the mountains of Israel to hear the Sovereign Lord's word—to hear what I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling the mountains, the hills, the gorges, and the valleys: I will send a sword to destroy the places where people worship idols. The altars will be torn down and the incense altars broken. All the people there will be killed in front of their idols. I will scatter the corpses of the people of Israel; I will scatter their bones all around the altars. All the cities of Israel will be destroyed, so that all their altars and their idols will be smashed to pieces, their incense altars will be shattered, and everything they made will disappear. People will be killed everywhere, and those who survive will acknowledge that I am the Lord.

“I will let some escape the slaughter and be scattered among the nations, where they will live in exile. There they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them,[d] because their faithless hearts deserted me and they preferred idols to me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done. 10 They will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings were not empty threats.”

11 The Sovereign Lord said, “Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease. 12 Those far away will get sick and die; those nearby will be killed in war; those who survive will starve to death. They will feel all the force of my anger. 13 Corpses will be scattered among the idols and around the altars, scattered on every high hill, on the top of every mountain, under every green tree and every large oak, in every place where they burned sacrifices to their idols. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. 14 Yes, I will reach out and destroy their country. I will make it a wasteland from the southern desert to the city of Riblah in the north, not sparing any place where the Israelites live. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Probable text I; Hebrew you.
  2. Ezekiel 4:13 The Law of Moses prohibited the eating of certain foods as being ritually unclean (see Lv 11).
  3. Ezekiel 5:16 Probable text You; Hebrew They.
  4. Ezekiel 6:9 Some ancient translations disgraced them; Hebrew I am disgraced.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 4

Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. (A)We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said,

“I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’”
He said this even though his work had been finished from the time he created the world.

(B)For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: “God rested on the seventh day from all his work.” (C)This same matter is spoken of again: “They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest.” Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it. (D)This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called “Today.” Many years later he spoke of it through David in the scripture already quoted:

“If you hear God's voice today,
do not be stubborn.”

(E)If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day. As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day. 10 (F)For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his. 11 Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

12 The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 (G)There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. 15 Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. 16 Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 104:24-35

24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wisely you made them all!
The earth is filled with your creatures.
25 There is the ocean, large and wide,
where countless creatures live,
large and small alike.
26 (A)The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan,
that sea monster which you made.[a]

27 All of them depend on you
to give them food when they need it.
28 You give it to them, and they eat it;
you provide food, and they are satisfied.
29 When you turn away, they are afraid;
when you take away your breath, they die
and go back to the dust from which they came.
30 But when you give them breath,[b] they are created;
you give new life to the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord be happy with what he has made!
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.
34 May he be pleased with my song,
for my gladness comes from him.
35 May sinners be destroyed from the earth;
may the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 104:26 in it plays … made; or Leviathan is there, that sea monster you made to amuse you.
  2. Psalm 104:30 give them breath; or send out your spirit.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:27

27 (A)People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 26:27 : Sir 27:25-Sir 27:27
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday November 2, 2017 (NIV)

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14

The Lord Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout(A)

16 After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me. 17 “Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you. 18 If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.

20 “If someone truly good starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

22 I felt the powerful presence of the Lord and heard him say to me, “Get up and go out into the valley. I will talk to you there.”

23 So I went out into the valley, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen it beside the Chebar River. I fell face downward on the ground, 24 but God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet. The Lord said to me, “Go home and shut yourself up in the house. 25 You will be tied with ropes, mortal man, and you will not be able to go out in public. 26 I will paralyze your tongue so that you won't be able to warn these rebellious people. 27 Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

God said, “Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.

4-5 “Then lie down on your left side, and I[a] will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last. When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days—one day for each year of their punishment.

“Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it. I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until the siege is over.

“Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side. 10 You will be allowed eight ounces of bread a day, and it will have to last until the next day. 11 You will also have a limited amount of water to drink, two cups a day. 12 You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you.”

13 The Lord said, “This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids,[b] when I scatter them to foreign countries.”

14 But I replied, “No, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean.”

15 So God said, “Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that.”

16 And he added, “Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink. 17 They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins.”

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The Lord said, “Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts. Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword. Keep back a few hairs and wrap them in the hem of your clothes. Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel.”

The Sovereign Lord said, “Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the world, with other countries all around her. But Jerusalem rebelled against my commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected my commands and refused to keep my laws. Now listen, Jerusalem, to what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. By not obeying my laws or keeping my commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations. And so I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it. Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and will never do again. 10 (B)As a result, parents in Jerusalem will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter in every direction any who are left alive.

11 “Therefore, as I am the living God—this is the word of the Sovereign Lord—because you defiled my Temple with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I will cut you down without mercy. 12 A third of your people will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by swords outside the city; and I will scatter the last third to the winds and pursue them with a sword.

13 “You will feel all the force of my anger and rage until I am satisfied. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the Lord, have spoken to you because I am outraged at your unfaithfulness. 14 Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance.

15 “When I am angry and furious with you and punish you, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you. 16 I will cut off your supply of food and let you starve. You[c] will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you. 17 (C)I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Lord Condemns Idolatry

The Lord spoke to me. “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the mountains of Israel and give them my message. Tell the mountains of Israel to hear the Sovereign Lord's word—to hear what I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling the mountains, the hills, the gorges, and the valleys: I will send a sword to destroy the places where people worship idols. The altars will be torn down and the incense altars broken. All the people there will be killed in front of their idols. I will scatter the corpses of the people of Israel; I will scatter their bones all around the altars. All the cities of Israel will be destroyed, so that all their altars and their idols will be smashed to pieces, their incense altars will be shattered, and everything they made will disappear. People will be killed everywhere, and those who survive will acknowledge that I am the Lord.

“I will let some escape the slaughter and be scattered among the nations, where they will live in exile. There they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them,[d] because their faithless hearts deserted me and they preferred idols to me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done. 10 They will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings were not empty threats.”

11 The Sovereign Lord said, “Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease. 12 Those far away will get sick and die; those nearby will be killed in war; those who survive will starve to death. They will feel all the force of my anger. 13 Corpses will be scattered among the idols and around the altars, scattered on every high hill, on the top of every mountain, under every green tree and every large oak, in every place where they burned sacrifices to their idols. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. 14 Yes, I will reach out and destroy their country. I will make it a wasteland from the southern desert to the city of Riblah in the north, not sparing any place where the Israelites live. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Probable text I; Hebrew you.
  2. Ezekiel 4:13 The Law of Moses prohibited the eating of certain foods as being ritually unclean (see Lv 11).
  3. Ezekiel 5:16 Probable text You; Hebrew They.
  4. Ezekiel 6:9 Some ancient translations disgraced them; Hebrew I am disgraced.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 4

Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. (A)We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said,

“I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’”
He said this even though his work had been finished from the time he created the world.

(B)For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: “God rested on the seventh day from all his work.” (C)This same matter is spoken of again: “They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest.” Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it. (D)This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called “Today.” Many years later he spoke of it through David in the scripture already quoted:

“If you hear God's voice today,
do not be stubborn.”

(E)If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day. As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day. 10 (F)For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his. 11 Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

12 The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 (G)There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. 15 Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. 16 Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 104:24-35

24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wisely you made them all!
The earth is filled with your creatures.
25 There is the ocean, large and wide,
where countless creatures live,
large and small alike.
26 (A)The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan,
that sea monster which you made.[a]

27 All of them depend on you
to give them food when they need it.
28 You give it to them, and they eat it;
you provide food, and they are satisfied.
29 When you turn away, they are afraid;
when you take away your breath, they die
and go back to the dust from which they came.
30 But when you give them breath,[b] they are created;
you give new life to the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord be happy with what he has made!
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.
34 May he be pleased with my song,
for my gladness comes from him.
35 May sinners be destroyed from the earth;
may the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 104:26 in it plays … made; or Leviathan is there, that sea monster you made to amuse you.
  2. Psalm 104:30 give them breath; or send out your spirit.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:27

27 (A)People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 26:27 : Sir 27:25-Sir 27:27
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

11/1/2017 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalms 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26

Today is the first day of November, the first day of the 11th month of our year. So, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you as we take this step into the new month. And this next step forward takes us into a new book. So, having wound our way through the warning prophecies of Jeremiah and then seeing those prophecies come true in the fall of Jerusalem and the carrying off of the Jewish people and exile in Babylon in the book of Lamentations, we find ourselves at the threshold of the book of Ezekiel. And Ezekiel is the first of two prophets from the Babylonian exile. Ezekiel prophesied to the Jewish people for the first two decades of their exile in Babylon. And true to form, the prophet prophesies and the people are too busy assimilating themselves into the new culture to listen. Ezekiel also contains descriptions of almost cinematic visions that in many ways parallel the visions of John on the island of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation. And these parallels are often cross-examined in eschatological studies, the studies of the end times, but this doesn’t make it a lofty and unapproachable book. These visions have a great impact, personally, on Ezekiel and if we’re able to allow ourselves to approach the book and the imagery from the perspective of what it speaks to our hearts, rather than trying to force it into a timeline of some sort or a linear ABC list, we’ll be able to revel in its deep and rich textures, allowing it to speak to us as a sunrise would rather than how the morning newspaper does. The book of Ezekiel holds much promise for us today and is one of the most relevant books of prophecy we have. Ezekiel may have spoken these words thousands of years ago, but it is as if he is saying them now. And, we, once again, have the opportunity to ignore or embrace what God is saying. And with that, from the Good News translation this week, Ezekiel chapter 1 verse 1 through 3 verse 15. And we’ll begin with Ezekiel’s first vision of God.

Prayer:

Father, as we begin this brand-new month, this 11th of the 12 months that are the revolution through a year, we look back, as we do at the beginning of most months and we see Your continued faithfulness and counsel and guidance through Your word each day. And as we begin the book of Ezekiel and begin to move our way through those prophetic utterances, we invite Your Holy Spirit to speak to us. As we continue through the book of Hebrews, we invite You to speak to us. And of course, we are led into your faithfulness and worship and adoration in the book of Psalms, but we also find ourselves there, for they speak true, the cry of the heart. And we receive Your counsel from the book of Proverbs. And we continue to meditate on Your words in the way that we use them, the way that we use them for good and the way that we use them falsely, as You have been challenging us. So, come Holy Spirit. We consecrate this month and our hearts to You and Your service in this world in this brand-new month. Come Jesus. We pray in Your name. We ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.  

So, couple things. As we bring to the closing, the Global Campfire initiative. I just want to thank those of you who participated. Thank you for hearing me and understanding what we’re trying to do and why we’re trying to do it, in building out this platform and the new integrated app that goes along with it and making it free, free for anyone. We are full steam ahead and kind of our wrapping up development of phase 1 of this. Those of you who participated will be getting an invitation with instructions on how to access the app and begin to use it. And it’ll take a couple of days for the us to get that all organized together and out but we’re beginning that today. Super, super excited, like perma-grin on the face about this day because it’s been a long slog forward to get this point. So, I can’t thank you enough. And I’ve already said it all, but it just bears repeating. Thank you for sewing into the lives of those who are coming in making a better way to experience the spoken word of God in and among this community. Thank you.

And then, I haven’t mentioned the calendar in a few days, but coming up on the 19th of this month, so in a couple weeks, we will be in Shreveport, Louisiana, in Bossier City, Louisiana, to be specific, and we will be bringing the Sneezing Jesus message at River Valley church in Bossier City. So, if you are down south then come say hello. For sure, come say hello. You can get all the details at dailyaudiobible.com. Just scroll down to the events section and you’ll find everything you want to know there and we’ll see you soon.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link and it’s on the homepage. And I thank you, thank you every day for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner and if you prefer the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill TN 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Hey DAB family this is Byron calling from Florida. I’m calling for Lee in New Jersey. Hey brother, I’m so sorry that your family is going through this difficult time, this conscious moment, where it seems to be coming apart due to your anger issues. You know I’m praying for you and that we’re all praying for you coming together as a community to cover for you guys man. But here’s the thing, do you deserve, perhaps, for your family to leave because of your anger issues? Yeah. Maybe. But is it in God’s will for your family to stay together? Yes. Yes. 100% absolutely yes. You need to understand that those two things are not related to each other. We are Christians. The very story of our live is that we are getting from God what we don’t deserve. So, take all that anger, all that frustration, and all that screaming and direct it upward, direct it towards God, direct it toward Your Father because He can take it and moreover, He can do something about it. Don’t take this lying down. Don’t resign yourself that you have to lose your family because you deserve it. Our God is bigger than that, stronger than that, and more merciful than that. So, trust Him and wait for Him and allow Him to show up and do something awesome to you so that when it’s done, all you can say is, God is gracious, He is merciful and He’s done so much for me. That’s all of our story. And I know, particular to my family, that’s my story too. I have a family I don’t deserve and I praise God for it. Praise Him for it to man. Love you. Praying for you.

Hello global campfire. This is Drew from Dallas. Today is October 28th and I’m calling to express gratitude because last week marked one year since I began listening to the Daily Audio Bible. And last week we also celebrated my son’s first birthday. And those two milestones are related because I learned about the DAB from our doctor, who told us about it as he delivered our son, whose name is Jack, into this world. And, so, over the past year, as baby Jack has grown, so has my love for God, thanks to the Daily Audio Bible. Jack and I often listen together. And, so, he is quite familiar with Brian’s voice. And I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in year two. So, thank you so much Brian and everyone else who’s behind the scenes for sharing the spoken word of God with us. It has made such a difference in our lives and we continue to be deeply grateful.

This is Peg in Texas. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I lift up the one who called from Kentucky. I think her name is Karen and yet I’m not sure I remember correctly. But you know exactly who she is and you know the concerns of her heart before they were even shared with the DAB family, a part of Christ’s body on earth. Now I pray for her and all those who have expressed tremendous loneliness. Father, You understand better than we understand ourselves. You understand that there is a sadness in not being connected, there is a sadness in being surrounded with one’s thoughts and not having feedback. Sometimes we need to hear that our requests are taken seriously. Sometimes we need to hear our name placed before You. And, so, now I place her name and I just ask for the others that have expressed the same thoughts of loneliness that You will minister to each one. Even in being alone, I pray that she and others will begin to experience the truth in that You have said that You will never leave and that You will never forsake. How grateful l am that You are ever present, that You see, that You hear, that Your spirit invades, and that You convict and convince through the Holy Spirit. I pray that Karen and for all those who are lonely. I pray that they will make the choice to talk with You, to listen to You as You speak through Your word. I pray that You will grant her and others, and even myself, the joy of friendliness whenever and wherever we rub shoulders with others. I pray that You will grant her an interest in those that cross her path, nurses and doctors and other patients, maybe family far away or maybe someone down the street or maybe someone at church.

Hi Daily Audio Bible. This is Paul from Houston and I’m calling in response to a September 3rd call by Tony the painter from London. And he was asking for prayer regarding his marriage with his wife from North Carolina that they hadn’t seen each other since January. So, I was just wanting to pray that God would open the doors for Tony and for his wife and that they will be reunited and I ask that God would just orchestrate that and that openings would come at the right time and his green card would come at the right time. And I just thank God and ask that his marriage would just be the whole and it will be together and I thank you Lord for blessing his marriage and I thank You Lord for being with him, with Tony and with his family. I thank You Lord for blessing them wherever they are, whether it’s in London, North Carolina, or wherever they end up. Thank You God that You ordained it and that You orchestrated it and I thank You God that You are in control of him and of our lives. I thank You Lord for the marriages out there, Lord, that You would unite husbands and wives. And I thank you Lord that You would orchestrate these different things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday November 1, 2017 (NIV)

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15

EZEKIEL'S FIRST VISION OF GOD (1.1—7.27)

God's Throne

(A)On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year,[a] I, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God. ((B)It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin had been taken into exile.) There in Babylonia beside the Chebar River, I heard the Lord speak to me, and I felt his power.

I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. Lightning was flashing from a huge cloud, and the sky around it was glowing. Where the lightning was flashing, something shone like bronze. (C)At the center of the storm I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze. In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing. Two wings of each creature were spread out so that the creatures formed a square, with their wing tips touching. When they moved, they moved as a group without turning their bodies.

10 (D)Each living creature had four different faces: a human face in front, a lion's face at the right, a bull's face at the left, and an eagle's face at the back. 11 Two wings[b] of each creature were raised so that they touched the tips of the wings of the creatures next to it, and their other two wings were folded against their bodies. 12 Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.

13 (E)Among[c] the creatures there was something that looked like a blazing torch, constantly moving. The fire would blaze up and shoot out flashes of lightning. 14 The creatures themselves darted back and forth with the speed of lightning.

15 (F)As I was looking at the four creatures I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them.[d] 16 All four wheels were alike; each one shone like a precious stone, and each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles, 17 so that the wheels could move in any of the four directions. 18 (G)The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.[e] 19 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved with them, and if the creatures rose up from the earth, so did the wheels. 20 The creatures went wherever they wished, and the wheels did exactly what the creatures did, because the creatures controlled them. 21 So every time the creatures moved or stopped or rose in the air, the wheels did exactly the same.

22 (H)Above the heads of the creatures there was something that looked like a dome made of dazzling crystal. 23 There under the dome stood the creatures, each stretching out two wings toward the ones next to it and covering its body with the other two wings. 24 (I)I heard the noise their wings made in flight; it sounded like the roar of the sea, like the noise of a huge army, like the voice of Almighty God. When they stopped flying, they folded their wings, 25 but there was still a sound coming from above the dome over their heads.

26 (J)Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure that looked like a human being. 27 (K)The figure seemed to be shining like bronze in the middle of a fire. It shone all over with a bright light 28 that had in it all the colors of the rainbow. This was the dazzling light which shows the presence of the Lord.

God Calls Ezekiel to Be a Prophet

When I saw this, I fell face downward on the ground. Then I heard a voice

saying, “Mortal man, stand up. I want to talk to you.” While the voice was speaking, God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet, and I heard the voice continue, “Mortal man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They have rebelled and turned against me and are still rebels, just as their ancestors were. They are stubborn and do not respect me, so I am sending you to tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. Whether those rebels listen to you or not, they will know that a prophet has been among them.

“But you, mortal man, must not be afraid of them or of anything they say. They will defy and despise you; it will be like living among scorpions. Still, don't be afraid of those rebels or of anything they say. You will tell them whatever I tell you to say, whether they listen or not. Remember what rebels they are.

“Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. Don't be rebellious like them. Open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.” (L)I saw a hand reaching out toward me, and it was holding a scroll. 10 The hand unrolled the scroll, and I saw that there was writing on both sides—cries of grief were written there, and wails and groans.

(M)God said, “Mortal man, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.”

So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said, “Mortal man, eat this scroll that I give you; fill your stomach with it.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey.

Then God said, “Mortal man, go to the people of Israel and say to them whatever I tell you to say. I am not sending you to a nation that speaks a difficult foreign language, but to the Israelites. If I sent you to great nations that spoke difficult languages you didn't understand, they would listen to you. But none of the people of Israel will be willing to listen; they will not even listen to me. All of them are stubborn and defiant. Now I will make you as stubborn and as tough as they are. I will make you as firm as a rock, as hard as a diamond; don't be afraid of those rebels.”

10 God continued, “Mortal man, pay close attention and remember everything I tell you. 11 Then go to the people of your nation who are in exile and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them, whether they pay attention to you or not.”

12 Then God's spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the loud roar of a voice that said, “Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven above!” 13 I heard the wings of the creatures beating together in the air, and the noise of the wheels, as loud as an earthquake. 14 The power of the Lord came on me with great force, and as his spirit carried me off, I felt bitter and angry. 15 So I came to Tel Abib beside the Chebar River, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard.

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 1:1 It is not known to what year this refers.
  2. Ezekiel 1:11 Some ancient translations Two wings; Hebrew Their faces, their wings.
  3. Ezekiel 1:13 Some ancient translations Among; Hebrew And the likeness of.
  4. Ezekiel 1:15 Some ancient translations them; Hebrew their faces.
  5. Ezekiel 1:18 Verse 18 in Hebrew is unclear.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 3

Jesus Is Greater than Moses

My Christian friends, who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent to be the High Priest of the faith we profess. (A)He was faithful to God, who chose him to do this work, just as Moses was faithful in his work in God's house. A man who builds a house receives more honor than the house itself. In the same way Jesus is worthy of much greater honor than Moses. Every house, of course, is built by someone—and God is the one who has built all things. Moses was faithful in God's house as a servant, and he spoke of the things that God would say in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God's house. We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.

A Rest for God's People

(B)So then, as the Holy Spirit says,

“If you hear God's voice today,
do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God,
as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test.
There they put me to the test and tried me, says God,
although they had seen what I did for forty years.
10 And so I was angry with those people and said,
‘They are always disloyal
and refuse to obey my commands.’
11 I was angry and made a solemn promise:
‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’”

12 My friends, be careful that none of you have a heart so evil and unbelieving that you will turn away from the living God. 13 Instead, in order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another every day, as long as the word “Today” in the scripture applies to us. 14 For we are all partners with Christ if we hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at the beginning.

15 (C)This is what the scripture says:

“If you hear God's voice today,
do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were
when they rebelled against God.”

16 (D)Who were the people who heard God's voice and rebelled against him? All those who were led out of Egypt by Moses. 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? With the people who sinned, who fell down dead in the desert. 18 When God made his solemn promise, “They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest”—of whom was he speaking? Of those who rebelled. 19 We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they did not believe.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 104:1-23

In Praise of the Creator

104 Praise the Lord, my soul!
O Lord, my God, how great you are!
You are clothed with majesty and glory;
you cover yourself with light.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent
and built your home on the waters above.[a]
You use the clouds as your chariot
and ride on the wings of the wind.
(A)You use the winds as your messengers
and flashes of lightning as your servants.

You have set the earth firmly on its foundations,
and it will never be moved.
You placed the ocean over it like a robe,
and the water covered the mountains.
When you rebuked the waters, they fled;
they rushed away when they heard your shout of command.
They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys,
to the place you had made for them.
You set a boundary they can never pass,
to keep them from covering the earth again.

10 You make springs flow in the valleys,
and rivers run between the hills.
11 They provide water for the wild animals;
there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 In the trees near by,
the birds make their nests and sing.

13 From the sky you send rain on the hills,
and the earth is filled with your blessings.
14 You make grass grow for the cattle
and plants for us to use,
so that we can grow our crops
15 and produce wine to make us happy,
olive oil to make us cheerful,
and bread to give us strength.

16 The cedars of Lebanon get plenty of rain—
the Lord's own trees, which he planted.
17 There the birds build their nests;
the storks nest in the fir trees.
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains,
and the rock badgers hide in the cliffs.

19 You created the moon to mark the months;
the sun knows the time to set.
20 You made the night, and in the darkness
all the wild animals come out.
21 The young lions roar while they hunt,
looking for the food that God provides.
22 When the sun rises, they go back
and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to do their work
and keep working until evening.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 104:3 A reference to the waters above the celestial dome (Gn 1.6, 7).

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 104:4 : Heb 1:7
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:24-26

24 A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words. 25 They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate. 26 He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

10/31/2017 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalms 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23

Today is the 31st day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. Of course, it’s awesome to be here with you today as we prepare to close down the 10th month of the year. Today is the 304th day of the year, which leaves us with 61 steps to go to the finish line. And, also today, we will conclude the book of Lamentations. So, let’s get to that. We are reading from the Good News translation this week. Lamentations chapter 4 verse 1 through 5 verse 22 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’re quite a bit of ways into the book of Proverbs and we have been dispensed. Each day, a bit of wisdom has been given to us that is practical and usable and true. And we also notice that it deals with all of the different postures and issues of our lives, encouraging us in the path that leads to and operates within wisdom. But we also have to acknowledge that where it is taking is now, the territory that we are going through right now, is pretty close to home, because its dealing with the things that were saying and how that affects things and it uses metaphors that we can understand to show us what we’re doing, which gives us a great opportunity to ask ourselves, ‘is that what I want to be doing with my words’. In other words, if this is what is happening, is that who I want to be? So, let’s look at this proverb. Insincere talk is how this proverb begins. So, what are we talking about we talk about insincere talk? We’re talking about language or the portrayal of an emotion that is not authentic, that is not genuine. In other words, we don’t mean what we’re actually saying and we don’t feel what we’re actually portraying or saying it because it’s what we feel like we should say or we’re exaggerating what we’re saying or what we’re portraying ourselves to be feeling, we’re exaggerating and stretching that beyond what is true and authentic. And the proverb says this is cheap talk. And we know that euphemism. We know that proverb - talk is cheap. This is what we’re talking about. But underneath that, we have to understand that it’s a sham. It’s not true. It’s not genuine. It’s not authentic. It’s not real. It veils the truth. It hides what you’re really thinking. So, as the proverb goes, ‘insincere talk that hides what you really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot’. So, if we’re looking at the metaphor, then the clay pot is made of cheap materials is maybe poorly constructed, isn’t going to hold together all that well, maybe it’s porous and actually won’t hold liquid, and so there’s a glaze that’s put over the top but that’s going to break down and it’s going to leak, which probably brings us to another euphemism -  that won’t hold water. That’s what we’re talking about here. So, this glaze is slapped on top of it to make it look like it’s a finely crafted piece, but it’s not. It’s cheap. It’s going to hold up. It’s not what it’s being presented to be. So, put that starkly, as the Proverbs are prone to do, we immediately have the mirror that the Scriptures become up in front of our faces and we have to examine ourselves. That’s the invitation of the proverb. Do you want to live wise or not? If you do, then this is this is what you need to pay attention to. This is what the Proverbs teach us. So, we have to look at ourselves and say, am I true, am I real, am I authentic and genuine in the things that I communicate or is most of this a sham? I don’t think there’s anyone listening right now that’s like yes, yes, every day I roll out of bed and see how fake I can possibly be and when I lay my head down at night, if I can feel like I fooled everyone, then mission accomplished. Like, I don’t think we live our lives that way. But using this proverb and the metaphor that it presents us, we might find that we very much are participating in insincere talk throughout any given day. And according to the proverb, we’re trying to pass off something as valuable that is cheap. And if we’ll pay attention to this proverb, if we’ll put it in our hearts and walk through this day observing ourselves, we’ll probably catch ourselves. And as we observe ourselves being this way, then we have the opportunity to name it and change it.

Prayer:

Father, we come into Your presence asking for Your help with this, the false places inside of us that just come spilling out all kinds of social situations. How is it that we can be true and sincere and present in our language, in our speech, rather than peddling something off that isn’t true? Come Jesus we pray, we need Your help, and we ask for in Your name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

What has been going on around here for the last week is the Global Campfire Initiative and that initiative will be concluded today. It was our hope to move through a week of the initiative and then be able to move forward in the development that we’ve been talking about. And, so, before the days out, the Hatch Prints will be gone. There are a few left. You can still certainly get involved. I don’t know what else to say to say that I am humbled that we can do this together and that we have done this together and that you’ve cared that were in this together and were doing this together. That is so heartening to know that there are passions about the spoken word of God in community that are beyond my own. So, thank you. And if you do want to participate, dailyaudiobible.com is the place to go. Just scroll down and you’ll find the Global Campfire Initiative. And thank you for helping us finish this strong and completely. From the bottom of my heart and the heart of all of the team, everybody who’s involved in writing lines of code or praying or whiteboarding or dreaming, thank you.

Of course, one of the things that we do very well around here is pray for each other. If you have a prayer request or comment, if you’re shouldering burdens, there’s a place to bring them and have them shouldered together in community. 877-942-4253 is the number you can dial.

And that’s it for today. This concludes the 10th month of our year together, concludes the month of October. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow as we begin a new month.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning my Daily Audio Bible family. I hope you are well. This is Erin in Michigan and I am calling with a prayer request for my niece, that she would turn back to God and also to take care of yourself. She has health issues and needs to eat well and sleep well and then do her college work. So, just lifting her up and holding her out to God because I know that she’s been chosen by him and has a great purpose in life. Lord, just ask for truth, health, and strength to get there. And my main request, Lord, and family, is to pray for me. I am embarking on a path that leads towards working towards racial reconciliation and I want to arrive in a church that believes that this is the church’s work and I totally and fully believe that as the body of Christ we are the ones to heal the divisions that have long been not even recognized as a division. So, Lord, I lift up our churches. I lift up our brothers and sisters of color, Lord. And I lift up those of us in the church, as it is our work to heal the racial divide that has scared our country since its inception. So, thank you for praying with me family. I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible DABbers. This is Dianne B. from Newburg, Indiana and I’m calling to mainly pray for Rayna from LA. Sister, I am in your shoes right now and want you to know that hang in there and just obey Psalm 91 -  the secret place. Get in the secret place every day. Focus on that. Focus on the word. Focus on worship. And I hear your pain and you feel hopeless. And people are saying, ‘what’s wrong with you’? And you love your job and you were free of fibromyalgia once but it’s come back full force. And I stand with you sister. I stand with you and I am fighting with you in my own battles in similar ways. So, every single day I am going to lift up your name to the Lord and I am going to pray that you be restored better than you were before because it is (singing) Him whom we love, it is Him whom we follow, it is Him whom we trust, it is Him, Jesus (singing stops). God bless you sister. I am going to pray every day. Shalom, shalom. Nothing is missing. Nothing is broken.

Good morning DAB family. This is Cheryl from Arkansas. And I have a prayer request today and ask that all of you guys, myself included, that we pray for our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico. I pray that we the Spirt of Jesus and the love of Jesus when we think of them and our hearts go out to them and that we treat them as one of us and that we treat them as the sisters and the brothers that they are, just like the sisters and the brothers to the right of us and to the left of us in the different states and cities within the United States. I ask that you pray with me, that we pray for the love that we have unconditionally and that we not treat them any differently because they’re not different. And that’s my prayer. And I just thank you guys are praying with me. Thank you, have a good day. Bye-bye.

Almighty and powerful God, I come to you tonight on behalf of Lee, who confessed his sin of anger to the DAB family. We are told to confess our sins, one to another, and to pray for one another and as the DAB family we do that right now. At the same time, You tell us, if we confess that You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father God, Lee’s anger must have been like a powder keg, he lost control and the flames were explosive, not just singing the relationship with his wife and his 13-year-old daughter but charring the relationship to the point of ashes. Oh, Father the family is deeply hurt. Lee is depleted, feeling unworthy of love and respect and a place within the family. Oh God, I pray that Lee’s anger will not go unchecked, the festering great bitterness. I pray Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit that Lee will embrace as the elective God always because of confession and beloved. Because he is Your child, that he will put on tender mercy, that he will put on kindness, that he will put on humility and meekness and longsuffering as You tell all of us, all of us as Your servants, and as the servants of our family. Father, we can’t do it without the powerful work of the spirit within. Grant it, I pray. At the same time, I ask, that in time that his wife and his daughter and his little son will see that Lee is repentant and they will have listening ears and open hearts and that by Your Spirit You will grant supernatural willingness to forgive and that restoration of the family will be Lees gift from You. Oh, Father I pray in the strong name of Jesus. I leave this petition with You and thank You.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 31, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 4-5

Jerusalem after Its Fall

Our glittering gold has grown dull;
the stones of the Temple lie scattered in the streets.

Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold,
but now they are treated like common clay pots.

Even a mother wolf will nurse her cubs,
but my people are like ostriches, cruel to their young.

They let their babies die of hunger and thirst;
children are begging for food that no one will give them.

People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets;
those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

(A)My people have been punished even more than the inhabitants of Sodom,
which met a sudden downfall at the hands of God.

Our princes[a] were undefiled and pure as snow,
vigorous and strong, glowing with health.

Now they lie unknown in the streets, their faces blackened in death;
their skin, dry as wood, has shriveled on their bones.

Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later,
who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.

10 (B)The disaster that came to my people brought horror;
loving mothers boiled their own children for food.

11 The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury;
he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.

12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations,
believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

13 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty
of causing the death of innocent people.

14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind,
so stained with blood that no one would touch them.

15 “Get away!” people shouted. “You're defiled! Don't touch me!”
So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

16 The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself.
He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

17 For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer.
We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

18 The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets.
Our days were over; the end had come.

19 Swifter than eagles swooping from the sky, they chased us down.
They tracked us down in the hills; they took us by surprise in the desert.

20 They captured the source of our life, the king the Lord had chosen,
the one we had trusted to protect us from every invader.

21 Laugh on, people of Edom and Uz; be glad while you can.
Your disaster is coming too; you too will stagger naked in shame.

22 Zion has paid for her sin; the Lord will not keep us in exile any longer.
But Edom, the Lord will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us.
Look at us, and see our disgrace.

Our property is in the hands of strangers;
foreigners are living in our homes.

Our fathers have been killed by the enemy,
and now our mothers are widows.

We must pay for the water we drink;
we must buy the wood we need for fuel.

Driven hard like donkeys or camels,
we are tired, but are allowed no rest.

To get food enough to stay alive,
we went begging to Egypt and Assyria.

Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone,
and we are suffering for their sins.

Our rulers are no better than slaves,
and no one can save us from their power.

Murderers roam through the countryside;
we risk our lives when we look for food.

10 Hunger has made us burn with fever
until our skin is as hot as an oven.

11 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself;
in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit.

12 Our leaders have been taken and hanged;
our elders are shown no respect.

13 Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves;
boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood.

14 The old people no longer sit at the city gate,
and the young people no longer make music.

15 Happiness has gone out of our lives;
grief has taken the place of our dances.

16 Nothing is left of all we were proud of.
We sinned, and now we are doomed.

17 We are sick at our very hearts
and can hardly see through our tears,

18 because Mount Zion lies lonely and deserted,
and wild jackals prowl through its ruins.

19 But you, O Lord, are king forever
and will rule to the end of time.

20 Why have you abandoned us so long?
Will you ever remember us again?

21 Bring us back to you, Lord! Bring us back!
Restore our ancient glory.

22 Or have you rejected us forever?
Is there no limit to your anger?

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 4:7 princes; or Nazirites.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 2

The Great Salvation

That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

The One Who Leads Us to Salvation

God has not placed the angels as rulers over the new world to come—the world of which we speak. (A)Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures:

“What are human beings, O God, that you should think of them;
mere human beings, that you should care for them?
You made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor,[a]
and made them rulers over all things.”

It says that God made them “rulers over all things”; this clearly includes everything. We do not, however, see human beings ruling over all things now. But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God's grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honor because of the death he suffered. 10 It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

11 He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. 12 (B)He says to God,

“I will tell my people what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.”

13 (C)He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”

14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, 15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 (D)For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. 17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 2:7 Many manuscripts add: You made them rulers over everything you made (see Ps 8.6).
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 103

The Love of God[a]

103 Praise the Lord, my soul!
All my being, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and do not forget how kind he is.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He keeps me from the grave
and blesses me with love and mercy.
He fills my life[b] with good things,
so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed
and gives them their rights.
He revealed his plans to Moses
and let the people of Israel see his mighty deeds.
(A)The Lord is merciful and loving,
slow to become angry and full of constant love.
He does not keep on rebuking;
he is not angry forever.
10 He does not punish us as we deserve
or repay us according to our sins and wrongs.
11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
so great is his love for those who honor him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our sins from us.
13 As a father is kind to his children,
so the Lord is kind to those who honor him.
14 He knows what we are made of;
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for us, our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
16 then the wind blows on it, and it is gone—
no one sees it again.
17 But for those who honor the Lord, his love lasts forever,
and his goodness endures for all generations
18 of those who are true to his covenant
and who faithfully obey his commands.

19 The Lord placed his throne in heaven;
he is king over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels,
who obey his commands,
who listen to what he says.
21 Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers,
you servants of his, who do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, all his creatures
in all the places he rules.
Praise the Lord, my soul!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 103:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
  2. Psalm 103:5 Probable text my life; Hebrew unclear.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 103:8 : Jas 5:11
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:23

23 Insincere[a] talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze[b] on a cheap clay pot.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 26:23 One ancient translation Insincere; Hebrew Burning.
  2. Proverbs 26:23 Probable text fine glaze; Hebrew unrefined silver.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 31, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 4-5

Jerusalem after Its Fall

Our glittering gold has grown dull;
the stones of the Temple lie scattered in the streets.

Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold,
but now they are treated like common clay pots.

Even a mother wolf will nurse her cubs,
but my people are like ostriches, cruel to their young.

They let their babies die of hunger and thirst;
children are begging for food that no one will give them.

People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets;
those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

(A)My people have been punished even more than the inhabitants of Sodom,
which met a sudden downfall at the hands of God.

Our princes[a] were undefiled and pure as snow,
vigorous and strong, glowing with health.

Now they lie unknown in the streets, their faces blackened in death;
their skin, dry as wood, has shriveled on their bones.

Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later,
who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.

10 (B)The disaster that came to my people brought horror;
loving mothers boiled their own children for food.

11 The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury;
he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.

12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations,
believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

13 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty
of causing the death of innocent people.

14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind,
so stained with blood that no one would touch them.

15 “Get away!” people shouted. “You're defiled! Don't touch me!”
So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

16 The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself.
He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

17 For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer.
We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

18 The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets.
Our days were over; the end had come.

19 Swifter than eagles swooping from the sky, they chased us down.
They tracked us down in the hills; they took us by surprise in the desert.

20 They captured the source of our life, the king the Lord had chosen,
the one we had trusted to protect us from every invader.

21 Laugh on, people of Edom and Uz; be glad while you can.
Your disaster is coming too; you too will stagger naked in shame.

22 Zion has paid for her sin; the Lord will not keep us in exile any longer.
But Edom, the Lord will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us.
Look at us, and see our disgrace.

Our property is in the hands of strangers;
foreigners are living in our homes.

Our fathers have been killed by the enemy,
and now our mothers are widows.

We must pay for the water we drink;
we must buy the wood we need for fuel.

Driven hard like donkeys or camels,
we are tired, but are allowed no rest.

To get food enough to stay alive,
we went begging to Egypt and Assyria.

Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone,
and we are suffering for their sins.

Our rulers are no better than slaves,
and no one can save us from their power.

Murderers roam through the countryside;
we risk our lives when we look for food.

10 Hunger has made us burn with fever
until our skin is as hot as an oven.

11 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself;
in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit.

12 Our leaders have been taken and hanged;
our elders are shown no respect.

13 Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves;
boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood.

14 The old people no longer sit at the city gate,
and the young people no longer make music.

15 Happiness has gone out of our lives;
grief has taken the place of our dances.

16 Nothing is left of all we were proud of.
We sinned, and now we are doomed.

17 We are sick at our very hearts
and can hardly see through our tears,

18 because Mount Zion lies lonely and deserted,
and wild jackals prowl through its ruins.

19 But you, O Lord, are king forever
and will rule to the end of time.

20 Why have you abandoned us so long?
Will you ever remember us again?

21 Bring us back to you, Lord! Bring us back!
Restore our ancient glory.

22 Or have you rejected us forever?
Is there no limit to your anger?

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 4:7 princes; or Nazirites.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 2

The Great Salvation

That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

The One Who Leads Us to Salvation

God has not placed the angels as rulers over the new world to come—the world of which we speak. (A)Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures:

“What are human beings, O God, that you should think of them;
mere human beings, that you should care for them?
You made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor,[a]
and made them rulers over all things.”

It says that God made them “rulers over all things”; this clearly includes everything. We do not, however, see human beings ruling over all things now. But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God's grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honor because of the death he suffered. 10 It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

11 He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. 12 (B)He says to God,

“I will tell my people what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.”

13 (C)He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”

14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, 15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 (D)For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. 17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 2:7 Many manuscripts add: You made them rulers over everything you made (see Ps 8.6).
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 103

The Love of God[a]

103 Praise the Lord, my soul!
All my being, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and do not forget how kind he is.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He keeps me from the grave
and blesses me with love and mercy.
He fills my life[b] with good things,
so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed
and gives them their rights.
He revealed his plans to Moses
and let the people of Israel see his mighty deeds.
(A)The Lord is merciful and loving,
slow to become angry and full of constant love.
He does not keep on rebuking;
he is not angry forever.
10 He does not punish us as we deserve
or repay us according to our sins and wrongs.
11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
so great is his love for those who honor him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our sins from us.
13 As a father is kind to his children,
so the Lord is kind to those who honor him.
14 He knows what we are made of;
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for us, our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
16 then the wind blows on it, and it is gone—
no one sees it again.
17 But for those who honor the Lord, his love lasts forever,
and his goodness endures for all generations
18 of those who are true to his covenant
and who faithfully obey his commands.

19 The Lord placed his throne in heaven;
he is king over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels,
who obey his commands,
who listen to what he says.
21 Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers,
you servants of his, who do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, all his creatures
in all the places he rules.
Praise the Lord, my soul!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 103:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
  2. Psalm 103:5 Probable text my life; Hebrew unclear.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 103:8 : Jas 5:11
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:23

23 Insincere[a] talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze[b] on a cheap clay pot.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 26:23 One ancient translation Insincere; Hebrew Burning.
  2. Proverbs 26:23 Probable text fine glaze; Hebrew unrefined silver.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

10/30/2017 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalms 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22

Today is the 30th day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. Great to be here with you today as we settle into the rhythm of this week. And, so, we got off to a big start yesterday, beginning the book of Lamentations and then reading Paul’s letter to Philemon. We’ll continue in Lamentations today, but we read Philemon in one sitting, which will bring us to the book of Hebrews, where we’ll camp out for a while, once we get to the New Testament. And we’ll talk about that when we get there, but now we are here. Lamentations, chapter 3 verses 1 through 66 today. And we’re reading from the Good News translation this week.

Okay. So, the book of Hebrews that we’re about to begin is one of the most compelling exhortations to stay true, to keep the faith that we have, in all of the New Testament. And while that’s true, the letter to the Hebrews is a bit of an anomaly, because we don’t know, fully, its origins. Although the apostle Paul’s been credited with authorship in several traditions, this is not very likely. And its also unclear which Hebrews are being written too. It could have been Jewish believers in Jerusalem or possibly believers in Rome. So, biblical hermeneutics is the study of the where and the why and the when of a sacred writing, believing that it mattered, that God inspired something to be written at a specific time and that that specific time matters to our interpretation. We can’t fully do that with the book of Hebrews, although we can get close. Timothy, Paul’s spiritual son, is mentioned in the letter. So, it’s contemporary with Paul’s writings or maybe just slightly after. What is very clear is that persecution has begun to take place in the Jewish community and, although it’s not martyrdom, what’s happened is that the Jewish believers and those who sympathize with them have begun to suffer ridicule. They’re looked at with contempt. And, so they been thrust to the sidelines. They been marginalized as irrelevant and weird. And this part we can apply directly to our cultures around the world today, as the efforts of the culture try to frame followers of Jesus as irrelevant, backwards, a little weird. The pressures placed on those early Jewish believer because of this were making many of them just this kind of like fade back into the woodwork, like hiding their faith, doing what they could blend in. And at the same time, others were turning their backs on the faith altogether and not moving back into Judaism. The letter to the Hebrews steps in and encourages Jewish believers to stay faithful to Jesus and not to turn back to their former ways. It encourages them to hold on. And, through them, it tells us the hold fast of the hope that we have in Christ without wavering at all. So, this is a very important message for believers today and it just happens to be given brilliantly through the Jewish heritage in the lens of the Old Testament. And, so, we begin. Hebrews chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’ve done a little bit of a flyover of Hebrews to give ourselves some context for where we’re going in that letter. And then we get to the Proverbs and its continuing on with what we began to talk about yesterday, when we were told that when you remove the fuel from a fire the fire goes out and equates it to gossip. When you remove gossip, the quarreling stops. Which should tell us just how insidious that kind of behavior can be in a community and should give us pause before we pass on those tasty morsels. And the proverb continues with that thought today - charcoal keeps the embers glowing. Right? So, it keeps this thing simmering down below, hot coals just waiting to flare up. Wood keeps the fire burning. Troublemakers keep arguments alive. Gossip is so tasty and how we love to swallow it. Now it’s easy enough to come to these kinds of passages in the Scriptures and go, okay, I’m reminded again that my words matter, okay, I’m reminded again that in my interactions lead to things and create things, and this is a good devotional thing, I should remember this. And, so, we kind of move past it without realizing just how significant of the thing we’re talking about here. For the Proverbs to use fire as the metaphor for what we’re talking about when we talk about gossip and arguments, we should pay attention because fire consumes things, burns things up, burns things down, which can be fine if you trying to incinerate garbage, but not so good if you’re burning your house down. Right? So, like, if you’re burning down all of the relationships around you, that’s not a good recipe for life, but that’s not going to stop until the fuel is removed, which is our words. And gossip is one of those transmission vehicles that, it’s like the Bible says, it’s tasty. It’s tasty to be in the know and to have some little bit of information that nobody else has and then to pass it along and then to create a reality around that little bit of information filling in all of the blanks, we love to swallow that stuff. We just need to understand that were swallowing poison. So, it’s easy enough for us to go like, okay, if I am a gossip, I should stop. But it’s not just that, it’s the willingness to listen to the gossip that perpetuates the problem. Like, if there is no place to pour out the gossip, well, then it can’t take hold. So, it’s not just for those who are willing to gossip about someone else. It’s also about those who are willing to listen to such things without pointing out to that person, look, you need to take that up with them, like, this isn’t me, and we don’t have all the details here. So, you need to take that up with them and then I’m happy to have a conversation if they’re here but I’m not going to talk behind their back. That wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t want that done to me. You wouldn’t want that done to you. So, we can’t do that to them. And that’s fair. And that may get you on the outs for a minute. You’re no longer the place where the gossip gets dumped on but that’s kind of the point. Troublemakers keep arguments alive, the proverb says, in the same way that charcoal keeps embers glowing and wood keeps fires burning. And we shouldn’t participate in any of it if wholeness and restoration and renewal are really what we’re after. And so, let’s remember this as we move through our day. Let’s pay attention to the things that we’re saying and the things that are being said to us. And it’s simple enough to use the proverb. Am I adding fuel to the fire by saying this or by listening to this?

Prayer:

Father, we submit our tongues and our ears to You because we’ve submitted everything - our heart our spirit, our body - everything that we are - our identity, our awareness – we’ve submitted these things to You. And, in doing so, You promise to renew and re-create us as we were intended to be. This is sanctification. And, so, this becomes a much bigger matter. So, come Holy Spirit. We invite You into this area of perpetuating arguments that don’t need to exist and spreading gossip that is full of things that aren’t even real. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

Right now, what’s going on is the Global Campfire Initiative, which is our move as a community to face outward and march forward. And I told the whole story of that last week, of all of the new technologies that we’ve been building for years, literally. But it’s now kind of reaching a culmination point, a sort of phase one point, where we’re about to unveil this new integrated Daily Audio Bible app that is completely ours, that is connected to our system that is completely ours, and the new web player that also looks like the app and is integrated and works because it’s ours. And all of that is great. We are going to take some big steps forward. But in prayer, over this year, God has invited us to make this app free. And in the past it’s always been $0.99. And that was kind of always the plan, to keep it that way, until we felt God impressing upon us – nope, this is to be given away. So, we’re inviting the community, the global campfire community to dive in and participate in the Global Campfire Initiative as we face forward and outward toward those who will come into contact because were doing this. And that is really a beautiful thing because, as we take the journey next year, we’re going to hear brand-new voices who are going to find this because of what we’re doing right now. So, we began this last Tuesday with the hope and wish and prayer that we could finish the Global Campfire Initiative by the end of this month, which is tomorrow. And it looks like that’s about where we are. And, so…man…I mean I’m humbled every day that we get to do this at all and I’m doubly humbled when we need to do something together that we do. And, so, I thank you, all of you who have participated in the Global Campfire Initiative up to this point. I thank you from the bottom of my heart because we’re taking some big risks now. And, so, to step forward in faith, and watch God show up through his people is a humbling thing indeed. So, we made these Hatch Show Prints here in the rolling hills of Tennessee, these unique posters that are beautiful in their old school technology, as a memento as a commemorative of this moment in our history. And we only have a few of those left. So, if it’s in your heart to partner with Daily Audio Bible in this way, to do this mission, we’ll send you one of those for your contribution of $200 or more. And you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. Just scroll down and you’ll find, in the initiative section, the Global Campfire Initiative. And you can read about it there and see the Hatch Show Print. And, of course, I told the whole story about this last Tuesday. So, you can just kind of scroll back and listen to that if you haven’t had the chance, but I thank you in advance for your partnership as we step into this new season together.

Of course, if you have a prayer request or comment, if you’re carrying burdens that are best not carried alone, that’s what we do, that’s what the Global Campfire is. It’s a community where we come around the light and warmth of the word and let it wash over us and wash into us each and every day and then we live it out. And one of the ways we live it out is that we’re good at praying for each other. So, if you’re carrying burdens you shouldn’t carry alone, there’s a number you call, 877-942-4253 is that number. And that’s one of a couple of numbers. That’s the number you can call if you are in the Americas. If you are in the UK or Europe we have a number 44-20-3608-8078 and if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning my DAB family. I hope you are all well. It’s Margo from Australia and I’ve got something on my heart. I’ve been wanting to call in and I am really hoping that it will encourage some of us as it has encouraged me. I want to say something to those of us, and I include myself, who suffer from depression and anxiety. I’ve had the illness for 18 years and it is a horrible thing to live with and it does make life really tough. Unfortunately, in this society it’s really become an epidemic. But what I want to say though is, do not give up on God. If you’ve been this way for a long time, like me, that doesn’t mean that He’s not still going to heal you. I’ve always likened this illness to like being in a prison. So many times, I have cried out to God and just begged Him so to just let me out of this prison, to please set me free from this prison of depression. At this point in time He hasn’t, yet. Just because He hasn’t yet doesn’t mean He’s not going to. It really struck me the other day when we read in Jeremiah chapter 37. When it said that Jeremiah was put in prison and he stayed there for very long time. Now, I don’t know how long that means but maybe it was 18 years like me. I just want to say, don’t ever give up on God. His arm is not to short that it cannot save. Personally, I cannot wait for 2017 to be over. It has been, by far, the worst year of my life, quite frankly. Yet I find myself feeling closer to God than I ever have. I think it’s because I’ve finally come to a place where I’ve stopped being angry at Him for not healing me and I’ve just decided to be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord. I really hope that encourages you. Bye for now.

Hey Brian. This is Jim from Southern New Hampshire. I want to thank you brother, so much, for your ministry. I praise God for this. God ____ prompted my heart to look for an audio bible podcast and I found the DAB community. I’m so thankful for that. As one brother said today, being washed by God’s word every day is amazing and I have really ___ so very much. Sharon in northern CA, I am praying for you sister. I am praying for your broken relationship, that God would heal and bring reconciliation for your husband and your children. Rayna in LA, I am praying that God will heal your body and take away the pain and will give you the vitality and the steadiness you need to do your job. And today, Thomas, you called in saying that you were going to have surgery on the 23rd. I assume that that surgery went well brother and now I am praying that God will give you a quick recovery. Daily Audio Bible family, try to ___ today. Keep looking up.

Thank You Father God for helping us. Thank You for being the rock that we could stand on. Thank You Father God for helping us with our depression, our finances, our lives, our work, our children. Thank You Father God for helping those who are in pain and for subsiding their pain. Thank You Father God for helping our kids who are addicted to substances and letting us be a light to them and putting hope in the them. Thank You Father God for the lady that called October 25 about her pain and that she wants to give up and she wants to be pain free and You are going to help her. Thank You Father God. We thank You in advance for all these things. We thank You that You are Our Father. We thank You that we can come to You. We thank Yu that we can surrender all to You. We thank You for being in our lives and our thoughts and our minds even when the world tells us not to and we stray away from You and You come back to us Lord Jesus. Thank You Father God for everything that You do, the blessings that You give us that we don’t deserve. Forgive us for our sins Father God. We love You so much. Thank You Father God for helping us all and for bringing peace into this family. Thank You Father God for helping Brian with his decisions and growing this ministry and giving Him the desires of his heart. Thank You Father God. We love You so much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Singing – Way past anything I could dream of. Lord You rock my world. My hearts quaking at the sight as You make all things new. Can I really be part of this resplendent joy – Singing stops. You are beautiful. Your justice rolls down like mighty waters. Oh, this very host proclaims your name. Alleluia, Alleluia! Singing starts - Way past anything we could dream of. Lord You rock our world. Our hearts quaking at the sight as You make all things new. Singing stops. We can really be part of this resplendent love.  You are beautiful. Thank You Lord. Thank You Jesus. This is Candice from Oregon and I just want to say to each and every one of you, just what an honor it is to be among you. And I’m thanking God, Brian, for just the wonderful vision and dream of what’s about to take place as far as technology and the new app and I just want to encourage every caller and everyone who’s not calling, just stay in the word and look to Jesus for everything.

Father God, thank You for this new day. Thank You for this beautiful earth that You’ve given us. Father God, I lift up Spain to You today. Thank You for Spain and what You are doing there.  Lord, I pray particularly for all the regions of Spain but in particular, Catalonia. You know what’s going on there Lord, You know about the ___ between the Catalonians and the Spanish government and I just pray Lord that You be at work in that situation. Oh God, we pray for peace, not unrest. I pray Lord that people would be able to talk to each other and to communicate and not act rashly. Thank You for who is in charge there. Thank You for the government officials on both sides. Please be at work in that situation. And may Your name be praised in Spain. I pray Lord, I pray You’ll be blessing Your people there, that Your name will be praised and that more and more people will hear Your word. Thank You for all the different things that make up Spain, all those different regions, all those different flavors. Pray Your blessing on them. In Jesus name. Amen. Alright. This is ___ from the UK. On Facebook quite a while ago I said I thought about changing my name to Beloved By Him. So, this is Beloved By Him from Gloucester in the UK. Today is Friday the 23rd of October. May God bless You wherever you are. In Jesus name. Amen.